A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Thanks to concerted efforts to raise awareness and understanding about eating disorders by special interest groups and medical practitioners around the country and across the planet, issues such as anorexia and bulimia are fairly well-known disorders whose grave effects on both emotional and physical health are widely acknowledged. Impacting the lives of scores of young women and other demographic groups with high instances of the disorders, anorexia and bulimia are generally looked upon as extremely debilitating and harmful. But there are some whose perspectives are in stark contrast to the norm; a growing community of “pro-ana” and “pro-bulimia” groups want professionals and the international community at large to regard the disorders as “lifestyle choices,” and are challenging the goals of mental health professionals who aim to improve the lives of the afflicted.

Websites championing anorexia and bulimia as “beautiful” and positive conditions have been gaining momentum over the past few years, primarily in the west but also as distant and seemingly unlikely as Malta, as a national news outlet reports. Such sites are dedicated to providing emotional and social havens for those with eating disorders, encouraging them to become as thin as possible through a variety of means. Some sites reportedly hold contests between members to see who can lose the most weight fastest; others offer “meal plans” containing dangerously low calories and nutrients. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Los Angeles Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update Presented by Jolyn Wells-Moran, PhD, MSW

Teenagers who are overweight, or believe they are, appear to be at higher risk of suicide, according to a new study published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health. This was found to be the same for girls and boys.

While the research results certainly can’t be said to be reliably predictive of any one teenager’s suicide risk, the study does help to support the view that teenagers with real or perceived weight problems should be particularly assessed for depression and suicidal thoughts – and that all teens should ideally be screened. Teenagers with depression and/or suicidal thoughts should then be referred for psychotherapy geared to these issues, and medically evaluated for possibly discernible physiological causes and treatments. The study included 14,000 US high school students, their body mass indexes (BMI) and beliefs concerning whether of not they are overweight, along with the rate of suicide attempts within the group. The analyses controlled for demographics and possible confounding variables.

Monica Swahn, an associate dean for research at the College of Health and Human Sciences and an associate professor in the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University was the lead researcher. “We cannot only focus prevention strategies on those who are overweight and who are concerned about their weight, but we also need to include youth who feel that they are overweight even though they may not be,” Swahn said in a news release. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

In the eyes of many people, the days spent in college are decidedly iconic; from carefree parties and trips to enlightening conversations and the opening up of new doors of experience and knowledge, the college years are often considered some of the best that modern life has to offer. Yet for a growing number of American college students, the period is marked with extreme stress, depression, and emotional difficulty. While some aspects of college life may contribute to negative emotions and experiences, recent accelerations of competition within schools and the extremely difficult job market, along with general financial woes, may be increasing the number of students whose occasional upsets are becoming fully-fledged and debilitating issues.

A poll conducted by the Associated Press in collaboration with MTV was recently administered to students at forty US colleges, asking participants to describe their thoughts and feelings on a range of topics, and to answer basic batteries of questions regarding their mental and emotional well-being. The results are significant; forty-two percent of participants reported feeling depressed, hopeless, or “down” several times within the two weeks prior to responding, and thirteen percent were shown to be at risk for some form of clinical depression. An alarming eleven percent of students reported having thoughts about self-harming or the idea that they’d be “better off dead.” Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Albany Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Mary Ellen Barnes, Ph.D. & Ed Wilson, Ph.D., MAC

Click here to contact Mary Ellen and/or see her Profile
Click here to contact Ed and/or see his Profile

Last month we wrote about the first two of the “6 Secrets Ex-Drinkers Know That You Don’t, And 12 Step Programs Don’t Want You To Find Out.” We started with the notation that AA/12-Step based programs, 98% of US treatment programs, are based on premises that both research and experience indicate are not only unfounded, but actually prevent you from getting over your problems and leave you with less than a 5% chance of recovery over five years.

Here are Myths 3 and 4:

Myth #3 – An Addict Must Hit Bottom

“Hitting Bottom” is a very destructive myth. Why would you wait until after you’ve lost you’ve everything to seek help? At that point, why would you bother to sober up?

Suppose for a moment that alcohol abuse actually were a disease. Then we’d be interested in prevention, then regular checkups, then early detection, then. Wait a minute…early detection? What happened to “hitting bottom?”

That’s the problem. With actual illnesses, we don’t wait until the patient is nearly dead before beginning treatment. Treatment is begun, good follow-up maintains progress, and changes in the patient’s life are instituted that will sustain the recovery. That’s an effective model.

It shouldn’t be surprising that this same process works well for diverting a client from alcohol abuse and dependence. The trouble is people have been discouraged – by mythology, stigma, and “lifelong recovery” – from getting help in the early stages when complete remission is not possible, likely, and relatively straightforward,.

How did that happen? Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

In the clutches of international financial difficulties and an economy that is proving to be difficult to manage at all levels, may states are grappling with tough decisions in terms of putting together a sound, reasonable, and acceptable budget. California is a prime example; with a massive debt and levels of unemployment hitting record highs, the state is looking at a series of difficult choices in deciding which services are most critical, and mental health is not exempt. Recently, state government proposed several measures aimed at allowing the Governor to achieve a balanced budget, one of which threatened to create significant problems for state mental health professionals, their clients, and California’s children in need of therapy.

The proposition, which was resoundingly voted down on Tuesday, would have amended the Mental Health Services Act, passed in 2004 and credited with making great strides for needy children and state psychotherapy programs at large. If the proposition had passed, approximately two hundred thirty million dollars per year, for a period of two years, would have been kept from the state’s mental health industry and related social programs, going instead towards facilitating a more attractive budget. The proposition would have had the greatest effect on programs for children and young adults. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Santa Rosa Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

Aversion therapies can be successful in helping people with addictions, who also wish to free themselves from the related behaviors, overcome their difficulties. Such therapies are commonly administered after a more psychodynamic approach is taken; the exploration of the causes of the addiction itself and its role within a person’s life is often able to facilitate positive change, but is sometimes ceased in favor of the more invasive and direct approach of aversion. Such therapy is, for the most part, handled with extreme care and is carried out by seasoned experts, as the potential for psychological harm is a concern.

All the more concerning, then, is the news recently developing in China in regards to a pediatric “internet addiction” clinic which claims to use aversion therapy to help kids kick the online habit. A growing complaint among the country’s parents is the time and energy children spend surfing the web, playing video games, and communicating with friends online, and some parents are apparently desperate for help. The Center for Curing Internet Addiction, located at a hospital in the eastern province of Shangdong, claims to be able to rid children and teens of undesirable internet-related behavior, but its staff as well as its methods are highly suspect. The clinic administers electro-convulsive therapy, or ECT, to children over a course of four and a half months, charging parents extra for early withdrawal from the program. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Chapel Hill Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

The prevalence of post-partum depression, or PPD, may seem out of place in a society that seems to unabashedly celebrate the processes of giving birth and becoming a mother. Yet many women experience PPD, which is widely recognized as having an adverse effect on infants as well as the relationship between a mother and her child. With this potential for long-term consequences in family relations in mind, a team of researchers with the Boston University School of Social Work set out to examine the efficacy and methodological details of modern therapies in the field. The study found that overwhelmingly, the integration of the infants themselves in therapy sessions was hailed as resulting in higher success rates and more deeply reaching change.

The researchers based their work on interviews with a panel of mental health professionals, comprised of an educator, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, all of whom had twenty or more years’ worth of experience working with PPD patients. The interviewees described the ability of integrative therapies to help anchor the client in the present and create avenues of communication and understanding between a mother and her baby. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Tucson Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org Featured Column written by Sarah Jenkins, MC, LPC

Click here to contact Sarah and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

For as long as I could remember, they were my siblings. Faithful. Loving. Supportive. With me when I played, laughed, and cried, they were beside me all of the time. Showing me unconditional love and compassion, the dogs I cherished were a part of my family, just as I was a part of theirs. I even tried to blame them for things at times. “But, it wasn’t me, Mum, it was the dog.” Of course, that never worked. It still doesn’t.

Now, I am sure that a pet being a “family member” is not an unusual concept for many of you who would read this. In fact, I would imagine that, right now, you could even bring up an image of your first pet, and sense some kind of emotional, physical, or spiritual reaction. And, perhaps like me, you have known the powerful connection between your pet, and the love that they give you in return.

Perhaps you would wonder why I would chose to write about the power of the relationship between dogs and me, or your animals and you. But, I did so, not only because I love my “fur-kids,” but also because many of my clients have pets and consider them to be some of their best supports, their family. And let’s face it, for many, it may be all the family they have.

Maybe they were there when you learned to love, or had to bear the pain of losing it. Perhaps they sat by you as you experienced joy, happiness, and peace. But, no matter what your encounters with your animals, you know that, already, this article connects to your understanding of their love for you.
Read the rest of this entry

By Gary Seeman, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Gary and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Awareness is Ever-Present

To be aware is to witness. And our witnessing selves are always there when we dream, [1] in daily activities, when feeling emotions, and in states of excitement or distress. We are constantly aware, though our focus may be clear or muddled. Without awareness, there is no consciousness. But awareness is hard to see. It is ever-present, like the air we breathe.

Although always present, awareness may not be remembered. For example, we may walk around a table while moving from one room to another. But we let our perception of the table recede from consciousness without storing memories that are easily retrieved. The encoding of memory depends in part on the intensity of experience, whether this intensity is influenced by the strength of a sensory perception or an emotional response.

We are self-aware when we attend to representations of experience – whether drawn from memory or visualizing a possible scenario. In psychotherapy, we train awareness on our lived experience to realize our hopes and goals and live more satisfying lives.

Every form of psychotherapy has methods to enhance awareness. This reflects the central role of improving the quality of awareness in the process of mental healing. Read the rest of this entry

By Anne Ream ATR-BC, LPC

Click here to contact Anne and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

Vulnerability, even thinking about it can be frightening to some people. Actually, a person must be strong to allow herself to be vulnerable. Vulnerability allows others to know us, who we genuinely are. Vulnerability allows negotiation. It allows an opening between conflicting needs.

Unfortunately, many people have been raised from the time they are young to deny their vulnerability. Many were raised by parents who could not be vulnerable. Many parents believe their children’s misbehaviors are directed at them and become angry and defensive in their parenting behaviors. When children are raised by defensive parents, they learn how to be defensive. Adults who are on the defensive cannot allow themselves to be open and vulnerable enough to relate to another adult.

Being vulnerable is being open. To love others, one must be open. When we are open, we allow our hearts to feel. When our heart is open to feeling love, it will also feel pain when love is withdrawn. Read the rest of this entry